,^-:::^^^£                                          £^^^:::-^,
,,,,-:¤¤##                                          ##¤¤:-,,,,
,^-:^¤£###                                          ###£¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£###                                          ###£¤^:-^,
,^-^¤£####                                          ####£¤^-^,
,,,,,,-^££                winds esker               ££^-,,,,,,
,,,^:^¤¤£# ---------------------------------------- #£¤¤^:^,,,
,,,,--:^¤£                                          £¤^:--,,,,
,^-:^¤£### there  was this place that for two years ###£¤^:-^,
,,,,,,,-^£ i couldn't  go to. regardless  how  much £^-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,^:¤£ discussed with others,  or  pointed  out £¤:^,,,,,,
,^-:^¤£### on  maps, i  could not think of  it when ###£¤^:-^,
,^-^¤£#### alone.  i  would  often  travel past the ####£¤^-^,
,^-:^¤£### fork, where a  right  turn would  surely ###£¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤¤££# take me there,  but even then, something #££¤¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£###               kept me away.              ###£¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£###                                          ###£¤^:-^,
,,,,,,--^£ when i  finally  got  there,  after some £^--,,,,,,
,,,,^:¤¤£#     heavy subconscious battle i must     #£¤¤:^,,,,
,^-:¤£#### assume,  the  place   was   surreal.  an ####£¤:-^,
,^-:^¤£### esker,  like a needle-thin  rift out  in ###£¤^:-^,
,,^-::¤££# the  lake,  but  ten  meters  high   and #££¤::-^,,
,,,,,^-:^£ adorned in birch, willow,  bracken,  and £^:-^,,,,,
,^-^¤£####               blueberries.               ####£¤^-^,
,,,,--:¤££                                          ££¤:--,,,,
,^-:^¤£### walking  atop  that  spine,  i  came  to ###£¤^:-^,
,,,--:^^¤# notice the view  to either  side.  there #¤^^:--,,,
,^-:::^££# should  be  shores,  of  course,  but  i #££^:::-^,
,^-:^¤#### didn't recognize them. first  off,  they ####¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤££## were  much too close, as the lake should ##££¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£### stretch  for  a hundred  meters more  on ###£¤^:-^,
,,^^^-^^^£ both  sides.  but  now  i felt  i  could £^^^-^^^,,
,^-:^¤¤£## almost reach  out  and touch  them.  and ##£¤¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤#### then, when i realized which shores  they ####¤^:-^,
,,,,,^:¤¤#           were, i had to stop.           #¤¤:^,,,,,
,^-:^¤£###                                          ###£¤^:-^,
,,,--::^£# they were of  the right  lake.  but this #£^::--,,,
,^-:^¤£££#       lake is large, fractured, and      #£££¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£### bipartite.  like a pair  of lungs carved ###£¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£### into the granite, and with  no less than ###£¤^:-^,
,,,,^^--^£   five communities anchored at various   £^--^^,,,,
,^-:^¤£###      points. and so, studying these      ###£¤^:-^,
,^-:^£####    impossibly close shores, i slowly     ####£^:-^,
,,,,^:^¤¤# understood  them as belonging many miles #¤¤^:^,,,,
,^-:^¤£###                   away.                  ###£¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£###                                          ###£¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£### i   examined  the  ridge,  the  treeline ###£¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£### above. was this what  you  saw opposite, ###£¤^:-^,
,,,,,,-:^£ from  those  other  shores?  i  couldn't £^:-,,,,,,
,,,,,-:¤¤£                 remember.                £¤¤:-,,,,,
,^-:^¤£###                                          ###£¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£### carrying  forward, on  the very  tip  of ###£¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£### the  esker, i  found the ruins  of  some ###£¤^:-^,
,,,,,--^^£    old building. there were overgrown    £^^--,,,,,
,,,,,,^:¤£ marble staircases, stone floors beneath  £¤:^,,,,,,
,^-:::¤¤££ the moss,  and  strange  slabs  inserted ££¤¤:::-^,
,,,^:::^¤# into  the slope like  dams  against  the #¤^:::^,,,
,^-:^¤£###              ground itself.              ###£¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£###                                          ###£¤^:-^,
,,,,^-:¤££ sitting  there,  i could see  across the ££¤:-^,,,,
,,,-:::¤£# narrowed lake my entire  path to where i #£¤:::-,,,
,^-:^¤£### sat:  from the stairwell  of  my  house, ###£¤^:-^,
,,,,,^:¤£# through the  old woods  behind  the tile #£¤:^,,,,,
,^-:^¤£###      factory, the bridge over route      ###£¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤¤¤£# twenty three  and  then  back under  it, #£¤¤¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£### through  the   fancy  villas,  over  the ###£¤^:-^,
,,,,--::¤# fields, and then that right turn at  the #¤::--,,,,
,,,,,-:^¤#                  fork.                   #¤^:-,,,,,
,^-:^¤£###                                          ###£¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£### and  then the  stairs  up  on the ridge. ###£¤^:-^,
,^-:^£#### thinking  back,  this was  probably  it. ####£^:-^,
,,,,,--^£# hidden  in a grove,  there  were  stairs #£^--,,,,,
,^-:¤£#### much like the ones i  currently  sat on, ####£¤:-^,
,^-:^¤£### old  and  worn  down,  that lead  you up ###£¤^:-^,
,,,,^^^-^£ onto the esker. the  point of entry. had £^-^^^,,,,
,^-:^¤£### i insted opted to walk  the path  at its ###£¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£### foot, i'm sure  my  experience  would've ###£¤^:-^,
,,,,-:¤¤##          been different indeed.          ##¤¤:-,,,,
,^-:^¤####                                          ####¤^:-^,
,^-:^¤£### ---------------------------------------- ###£¤^:-^,
,,,,^-^^¤£                                          £¤^^-^,,,,
,,,^:::¤£# on   the  lake,  there  were  people  in #£¤:::^,,,
,^-:^¤#### boats. i  wondered, could they even  see ####¤^:-^,
,,,,,--^£# me? if  i  shouted, would they  turn  to #£^--,,,,,
,^-:^¤£###          stare right through me?         ###£¤^:-^,
,,,,-::¤¤£                                          £¤¤::-,,,,
,^-:^¤£###                                          ###£¤^:-^,
,^-::::¤£#                                          #£¤::::-^,
,^-:^¤£###                                          ###£¤^:-^,
,,,^^:^¤££                                          ££¤^:^^,,,